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Who Exactly Is Ted Cruz? Eight Things You Didn't Know About the Republican

© REUTERS / Jim YoungUS Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz arrives at his Wisconsin primary night rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, April 5, 2016.
US Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz arrives at his Wisconsin primary night rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, April 5, 2016. - Sputnik International
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Ever since Donald Trump started to build momentum as the frontrunner for his party's Presidential ticket, Republicans and Democrats alike have been eyeing the Texan Senator Ted Cruz as the most likely candidate to defeat Trump.

The billionaire property tycoon's campaign has been accused of stirring up division, it's been compared with the rise of fascism in 20th century Europe, and it's causing a great deal of nervousness within the upper echelons of the GOP. 

© AP Photo / Paul SancyaRepublican presidential candidates, businessman Donald Trump and Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, argue a point during a Republican presidential primary debate at Fox Theatre, Thursday, March 3, 2016, in Detroit.
Republican presidential candidates, businessman Donald Trump and Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, argue a point during a Republican presidential primary debate at Fox Theatre, Thursday, March 3, 2016, in Detroit. - Sputnik International
Republican presidential candidates, businessman Donald Trump and Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, argue a point during a Republican presidential primary debate at Fox Theatre, Thursday, March 3, 2016, in Detroit.

The Republican Party's 'Stop Trump' faction — comprised of a number of establishment figures — is far more than a mere fringe operation, and is spending millions of dollars on TV spots aimed at slowing the Trump bandwagon. If they are successful — and with all signs pointing towards a brokered convention, they probably will be — the inevitable upshot is a Ted Cruz candidacy. 

A number of commentators however, have remarked that were it not for the shock factor of Donald Trump's campaign, his nearest rival — Ted Cruz — could be considered to be just as bad, if not worse than the controversial business tycoon. But who exactly is Ted Cruz?  Well, here are 8 things you probably didn't know about the Texan Senator… 

Support for Anti-Civil Rights Campaigners

The first political contribution Ted Cruz ever made in his life, he made to the late Jesse Helms, and he's proud of that fact. Helms famously supported the apartheid regime in South Africa, massively opposed the civil rights act, and called the University of North Carolina the "University of Negros and Communists." 

Associations With Extreme Homophobs

Last year, Cruz attended a conference in Iowa led by Pastor Kevin Swanson, a right-wing radio host who has — on a number of occasions — called for the execution of homosexuals who refuse to "repent."

Essentially Supports the Idea of a Theocracy

Ted Cruz has previously given tacit approval to the notion of the USA as a Christian theocracy, explicitly stating: "I'm a Christian first, American second".

Wants to Assassinate Iran's Supreme Leader

Just as the diplomatic relationship between the USA and Iran is finally, slowly beginning to thaw, Cruz has signaled his willingness to assassinate Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying that he might "have to help introduce him to those 72 virgins".

Wants to Nuke the Middle East

We all know that Donald Trump favors torture methods like waterboarding, but less well known is Ted Cruz's desire to make Middle Eastern desert sands "glow in the dark," where he strongly implied a desire to nuke the region. 

© SputnikHurricane Sandy
Hurricane Sandy  - Sputnik International
Hurricane Sandy
Opposed Funding After 

Cruz voted against federal funding in response to Hurricane Sandy — the deadliest and most destructive hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season — which was responsible for over US$70 billion worth of damage in the US alone.  Last spring however, somewhat hypocritically, Cruz begged for similar funding when his home state of Texas was hit with severe floods.

Accuses Black Lives Matter of 'Celebrating the Murder of Police Officers'

2016 US presidential candidates - Sputnik International
Snapshot: How US Presidential Candidates Stand on Defense, Trade and Russia
Ted Cruz has made extremely controversial comments about the international activist movement Black Lives Matter, which campaigns against racial profiling and violence towards black people. Whilst on the campaign trail last year, he accused the group of "rabid rhetoric, rabid anti-police language, literally suggesting and embracing and celebrating the murder of police officers."

Yes, Even Jimmy Carter Prefers the Through of Trump

Former Democratic President Jimmy Carter has said that he would prefer Donald Trump as the next Commander-in-Chief rather than Ted Cruz, whom he sees as being dangerously fixed in his opinions: 

"I think I would choose Trump… which may surprise some of you, but the reason is Trump has proven already that he's completely malleable. I don't think he has any fixed opinions that he would really go to the White House and fight for." 

So, as Americans — and international observers — look on with horror at the prospect of a Donald Trump nomination, many are starting to take comfort in the thought of a last minute Ted Cruz victory. For those who fear Trump's rhetoric though, this could be a case of be careful what you wish for.

On issue after issue, the Texan senator's platform is often no less conservative and no less divisive than those of his rival, and in many cases, more so. 

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